Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 55:
It is the spring of the new year. Deconstructing the walls and mining away the natural casing of the obsidian tower is progressing quickly and a good start has been made on filling the hole in the center. I'm having the idle dwarves stockpile the valuable ores in the stockade despite the near-critical lack of space. It's the prisoners that are the problem. I don't want to divert labor and space into facilities to execute them safely inside the stockade and Kogsak wants to keep them alive for future sport. So they stay.
The impromptu medical staff have seen to Rigoth Iklistthob. A cheese maker washed his wounds without any soap (I'll see if I can find the lye we brought on the wagon to make some soap with immediately), and our furnace operator Obok Kedsakzul, repaired the compound fractures of his lower spine and both upper legs. The butcher Zefon Kidetdeduk among others tried his hand at suturing. He attempted to suture Rigoth's lower spine's nervous tissue back together although when he was done it was more cave spider silk then spinal cord. After a half month's rest to recover from so much care the mechanic Melbil Sarekiden set his bones and spine in what he guessed to be their proper places and covered his open wounds with rope reed fiber dressings. Melbil says Rigoth will need to be put in traction and he's going to need a traction bed to do so. Rigoth's chances are poor but I'm going to get someone started on some chains for a traction bed right away.
There was an herbalist named Olon Bokbonlibash who was possessed during the winter siege of 54. He never claimed a workshop and I wasn't going to waste time playing guessing games with him. So it was only slightly surprising when he died in the cabin after refusing to drink anything these last few months. If the empty coffins right next to mayor Mistem Kadolvir's little 'room' in the cabin were a bit spooky, the occupied ones are undeniably depressing. I have even ordered more of them made in preparation for the next disaster. A few migrants have arrived. I'll sort them out next season.
With the obsidian's casing removed, except for the bit which houses the water pump stack, the stockade's north and south walls had to be lengthened gaining us a bit more space inside.
In anticipation of an attack on our fort this season, I had limited the distance the civilian dwarves can go away from the stockade. When the attack came it was just three squads of white tigermen. The first squad hurried into the blockhouse and was neatly trapped as the drawbridge closed behind them. They were then hauled in cages to the recently created floorspace in the stockade.
When the mechanics brought it up that there were no more empty cages to re-load the traps with I decided to chance re-opening the drawbridge right away given the cowardice the white tigermen have previously displayed. Their luck was as weak as their resolve and the second squad retreated. The third squad, seeing the second depart followed them in retreat without even trying the now mostly-defenseless blockhouse at all.
Summer brought the completion of the obsidian casting. The leftover magma in the reservoir was cooled or allowed to spread out and dry. Every able-bodied dwarf lent a hand at bringing down the no-longer needed walls.
Vucar Fokerlikot was taken by a fey mood a withdrew into a craftsdwarf's workshop. Id, my friend the armorer, has produced enough copper armor to outfit all three of the new squads now.
Vucar Fokerlikot finished his construction, a decorative yak bone floodgate with a copper image of the diorite figurine of dwarves, 'Glosssieged' upon it. It's just not as good as the original.
The summer is coming to a close. The last of the casting equipment is getting deconstructed, the water pump stack and its feed are to be broken down and the last of the natural rock from around where the water pump stack was will soon be mined away.
Another siege is reported on our borders. Dark stranglers and goblins with trolls in tow. I have no fears of the dark strangers but the copper armor we have been producing is not very good insurance against the weapon masters of the goblin forces. We have acquired some steel through the caravans from the mountain homes but not yet enough to fully armor a dwarf, let alone an entire squad. The drawbridge over the stream is retracted immediately to cut off the goblin's trolls and a few dark strangers on the other side. The odds against us are better but still not good.
The dark strangers advance quickly and some made it into the blockhouse before the drawbridge was raised although they were easily dispatched. The cage traps still sit neglected since we ran out of empty cages in the spring and the order to produce more has not yet been filled.
The recent focus on armor production, monopolizing our forge, has led us to a current shortage of bolts. The Bronze Whip are unable to engage the enemy from the walls. With the squads of new recruits nowhere near ready for combat we take our time dealing with this siege. As long as they are driven off before the caravan from the mountain homes arrives we can still claim success.
Our supply of new cages for the traps is bolstered by the cages of captives who have succumbed to their wounds and can be safely dumped in the refuse pile, of which, I'm not happy to say, we've just had to make one inside the stockade for the time being. The debris jamming the door open between the blockhouse and the stockade has finally been cleared giving us that one more measure of security that has been missing.
By autumn we were prepared and in position. The goblin forces were allowed into the blockhouse in separate groups by using the drawbridge. Prisoners and heads were taken. The invaders stuck on the other side of the stream were gone when we checked for them.
The first stage of Stormrack's construction was now complete. I stood on the top of the obsidian tower overlooking the stockade to the east and considered my plans. Someone yelled up to me that the woodworker Rigoth Lolokthosbut we had brought with us from the mountain home had created a bucket of the highest quality. I would have to go take a look at it.
Progress has been slowed due to increased enemy presence in the area and that is only expected to get worse. Construction and management of a fortress was difficult at the best of times, but I think we would all be nowhere or worse without the protection of Kogsak and The Deep Palisades. I can't afford to over-tax them despite their assurances to the contrary, so I ordered additional cage traps built in the blockhouse. I just needed more time though more steel would be nice as well. At least for now I could start to get the build-up of refuse inside the stockade taken outside where it belongs.
The miners eagerly took to the obsidian with their picks. They cut the entrance to our new home into the east face of the tower. I had the semi-valuable rock stored with the malachite and marble we had already stockpiled.
Zasit Famousdiamond, our new outpost liaison from The Creation of Drinks arrived from the east with the trade caravan. We had quite a bit of garb taken from dead or imprisoned invaders that I traded for food, sand and lye. I also took the iron, iron ores, pig iron and steel that I had requested last year.
Winter arrived, the trade caravan started preparing to leave. Two levels below, along the new entrance hallway, and then again in the depot hall, the miners have dug into veins of hematite. This was the best news I could possibly receive. The hematite was brought up to the surface with the obsidian. We had a surplus of charcoal in the wood burning workshop so production of steel bars was prioritized at the smelter. I kept myself busy producing more giant corkscrews and pipe sections out of green glass made from the sand brought by the caravan.
Outside of the stockade I ordered Mistem Delerbim, one of the miners to dig under the ice of the murky pool by the north palisade. I wanted a grate installed over the inlet to our well's reservoir to secure it against amphibious assault. He declined claiming to be possessed but at least the work was undertaken by one of the other miners. I had assumed Mistem was faking it but he quickly produced a floodgate of the highest quality, if not necessarily value, named The Stern Prestige.
A few migrants arrived late this season as well. The crowded sleeping situation in the cabin dormitory is starting to wear on us.
The enemy arrive again. The cowardly tigermen we are familiar with, but prancing from the east on cloven hooves came twisted beings with goat skulls for heads. Kogsak told me they were known as foul blendecs and that their enchantments would render our traps useless against them.
The drawbridge was raised as a few of the white tigermen are captured. The enemy forces had gathered around the blockhouse but The Bronze Whip fired no bolts down upon then. Deep in my work in the glass furnace I had forgotten that I was the one responsible for keeping them supplied with copper bolts. Kogsak luckily took the initiative and had the carpenters make a few stacks of wooden bolts while I got back over to the forge after having a drink.
Once again armed, The Bronze Whip rain wooden followed by my masterwork copper bolts down on the foul blendecs. Interestingly, they vaporize upon expiring.
Stakud Lecadmelbil who was rescued from a white tigerman by Kogsak back in autumn of last year became possessed. He claimed a craftdwarf's workshop and muttered endlessly of shells. I know where there are shells outside in the refuse pile but no one is going out there yet.
With the foul blendecs perforated and vaporized, the drawbridge was dropped and The Deep Palisade sallied forth and decimated the white tigermen at the gate. They also turned up an ambush of goblin lashers who just turned and fled while The Deep Palisade were busy with the white tigermen.
The Bronze Whip had set their sights on the squad of white tigermen to the west of the blockhouse. This last squad retreated quickly after a few bolts found their mark leaving a couple of their wounded to distract Kogsak who soon chased the rest of them to our southern border.
With the alert dropped, Stakud could get his shells. The miners working on the sections of my underground plans reported striking a few veins of native gold in addition to more hematite and the year ended on a positive note.
Author
Topic: Stormrack, Magma Hammer redux (Read 16966 times)